KING ORIE. 95 



other men who had accompanied Mr. Lander on 

 his former journey, and who were now returning 

 in triumph to the scene of their former exploits, 

 dressed in soldiers' jackets and military caps, 

 blowing trumpets and beating drums, accompa- 

 nied by King Boy and about forty Eboe canoes 

 emulating them in their discordant noises, wc 

 advanced up the narrow creek more like merry- 

 andrews than sensible people ; and after a row of 

 about three quarters of a mile, in one of the 

 hottest days I ever experienced, we landed at the 

 upper end of the town amongst a great assemblage 

 of people of both sexes. From our landing we 

 had still more than half a mile to walk, sur- 

 rounded by a mob of about a thousand people 

 armed with all manner of muskets, spears, cut- 

 lasses, bayonets and knives fastened on the ends 

 of poles. The heat of the weather and the 

 stench of the place were quite overpowering; and 

 the natives' pressing round us to touch the skin 

 of a white man required the exercise of all our 

 good temper and forbearance to withstand. 



On arriving at the royal residence we passed 

 through two outer courts, each about twenty 

 yards square, and were ushered into a smaller 

 one, three sides of which had projecting roofs 



